Warriors lost 24 points, Kuming added comfort! Butler lacked firepower in 17 points, Edwards recovered

On May 9, the NBA divisional semi-finals continued, and the Timberwolves and Warriors series G2 started, and Curry was unable to play because of a hamstring injury. G5 may return as soon as possible. In this unfavorable situation, Cole used the method of scoring lottery tickets (successful in the illness), and in the first half, he directly pulled out 14 players to rotate, creating a single-game rotation record for the NBA playoffs. The final score was frozen at 117-93, and the Timberwolves tied the score 1-1. The Timberwolves also had bad news. Edwards sprained his ankle during the game. Fortunately, he returned in the second half and Edwards gradually found the touch. The Timberwolves did not show enough dominance in this game when they were better than the Warriors in the confrontation and height.

The Warriors were pressed to the ground by the Timberwolves in the first quarter: At the beginning, McDaniels and Conley made a three-pointer rain. Randall trained Boster in a row and directly opened the gap 13-0. After Butler broke the deadlock with a three-pointer, Moody actually made a three-pointer. After that, Edwards and Reed continued to blossom inside and outside, and the Timberwolves led by up to 18 points in the first quarter! With Curry absent, Butler did not stand up, and Hilder and Green's three-pointers were dropped. In the first half of the second quarter, both teams had bad offenses, and Edwards was stepped on his ankle by Davis and left the field due to injury. When Divincensor and Randall opened the gap of more than 20 points, Davis and Hilder chased the score. After that, Kuming added the ball and made a perfect shot. In the first half, the Warriors 39-56 Timberwolves, and Kuming scored 10 points.

Entered the third quarter, Butler blossomed inside and outside, and Kumingga continued to dunk. With Hilder's three-pointer, the Warriors chased after only 7 points, and Reed and Divincenzo made a three-pointer rain, but Randle and coach Finch had a fierce verbal exchange on the sidelines, and both of them were very excited. The Timberwolves relied on the strong firepower of the bench to open the 20-point difference again after the third quarter. Entering the fourth quarter, the Warriors counterattacked, but Reed scored a three-pointer on the Timberwolves, Edwards singled Kumingga, Walker overtakes layup, and Edwards' three-pointer in the middle killed the suspense of the game. Cole surrendered in the last 5 minutes, and the Timberwolves defeated the Warriors 117-93.

When Curry is not around, one of the biggest problems exposed by the Warriors is that no one pulls the space. The Timberwolves can easily restrict the Warriors' scoring points with one nail and one Mao. The Warriors' starting scoring ability cannot match the Timberwolves. In this kind of game, Butler is a little invisible. The biggest gain of Kohl's lottery-style employment is Kumingga. At least Kumingga has the ball and can play strong singles. He made 8 of 11 shots in the game, scored 18 points and 5 rebounds. His hands were hot in the first half, and his efficiency in the second half also declined. Davis also showed a certain degree of aggressiveness, but in addition, Moody's, Payton Jr., Spencer and others on the bench had no offense and defense. In the G1 game, it can be said that the Timberwolves had been resting for 5 days and had no touch at all, but today the Timberwolves had no choice but to retreat, the Warriors' connection gave the Timberwolves too many opportunities to make an easy three-pointer.

Timberwolves bench Reed + Walker + Divincenzo scored 10 three-pointers, surpassing the Warriors' team. Secondly, when Curry was away, Green didn't look energetic, and the three-pointer felt plummeted. Let’s talk about Butler, who made 6 of 13 shots in the game, scored 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. When the Warriors chased after only 7 points in the third quarter, Butler inexplicably dribbling violations gave the Timberwolves a chance to breathe. After that, the Timberwolves had a three-pointer rain to widen the gap again. This kind of low-level mistake is very inappropriate for a star of Butler! Maybe Butler is really too tired, but Butler should have assumed more of the right to shoot. Even if he can't make a shot, it's better than giving up his shot to his teammates. It's impossible to expect Hilde and Green to explode forever.

What makes people more confused is that the Warriors chased each other in stages, why did Kohl replace Kuminga first? In the words of Bay Area reporters, when Curry was injured, Kerr should have arranged an impactful lineup around Kumingga, and Davis and Podjemsky's partner were both effective. But Cole is obviously overconfident! On the Timberwolves, they played against the Lakers in the first round. In fact, after McDaniels and Randall broke out, Edwards was much more relaxed, and the same was true today. He scored 3 of 13 shots, scored 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, and his feel was recovering. In addition to these two helpers, Walker scored 20 points, Reed and Divincenzo also made three-pointers, and the Warriors' defense line lost one and the other. There are three points that need to be solved urgently in the Warriors' miserable defeat: Butler must score more than 25 points in the next game, and there is no chance to win for more than ten points. He cannot open this point and his teammates have no room.

Kuminga feels good, and Cole should not be restricted from using it. Even if Kuminga is let go, it might be really effective. A lineup like the Timberwolves that is not airtight in defense requires someone to tear up the space. Finally, don’t use Moody, Spencer and others on the bench. The effect is very average. It’s better to give Looney more time and add some franchise protection and confrontation at the basket. If the Warriors want to eliminate the Timberwolves, they must persist until Curry returns. Before Curry returns, only Butler and Kumingga can be counted on.